2008 Woodie Awards
Hear them roar
Indiegrrls to perform in Charleston
Chris Essig/ Verge Reporter
Issue date: 10/15/05 Section: The Verge
"(The performers') lyrics are very personal and their music isn't loud," Dawson said. "It's raw and nothing is too crazy."
A smaller venue allows for more audience interaction as well.
"My ideal venue is a good listening room, about as big as your living room - or a little bigger - but with that feeling of being in someone's living room," Kulpa said. "I like to watch the audiences' facial reactions to my music."
For this particular tour, the artists will play solo acoustic sets.
While Indiegrrl has over 1,300 members and a number corresponding tours currently taking place across America, the performers on the Midwest leg are, for the most part, originally from the area.
Chicagoan Miller, whose "darkly central acoustic folk" has often been compared to Tracy Chapman, has been a part of Indiegrrl for five years.
"It's a great network to associate with other female performers," Miller said. "The majority of the people I know in music are through Indiegrrl."
For Kulpa, who's also from the Chicago area, this is not only her first Indiegrrl tour, but her first performance in Charleston. Kulpa initially joined the tour because of "the opportunity to play with so many other established touring artists, the possibility of collaboration, and fun jam sessions."
Kulpa often describes her music as "acoustic-kara-folk" and has even been compared to Natalie Merchant.
"I'm not sure if I really sound like Natalie, although my vocal melodies might be able to be traced back to her since I grew up singing 10,000 Maniacs songs in my bedroom to my mirror," Kulpa said.
Other performers include Renee Asteria, who fuses folk-rock and reggae into her Latin rhythms; Kristy Hanson, described as a mix between jazz, classical, and folk music, and the lead singer of the Neo-Celtic group Blaq Lily, Arminta.
While their musical backgrounds may spread across myriad genres, one thing unites them all.
"So much of what is on the radio sounds the same," Hanson said.
Indiegrrl is trying to provide an alternative.
A smaller venue allows for more audience interaction as well.
"My ideal venue is a good listening room, about as big as your living room - or a little bigger - but with that feeling of being in someone's living room," Kulpa said. "I like to watch the audiences' facial reactions to my music."
For this particular tour, the artists will play solo acoustic sets.
While Indiegrrl has over 1,300 members and a number corresponding tours currently taking place across America, the performers on the Midwest leg are, for the most part, originally from the area.
Chicagoan Miller, whose "darkly central acoustic folk" has often been compared to Tracy Chapman, has been a part of Indiegrrl for five years.
"It's a great network to associate with other female performers," Miller said. "The majority of the people I know in music are through Indiegrrl."
For Kulpa, who's also from the Chicago area, this is not only her first Indiegrrl tour, but her first performance in Charleston. Kulpa initially joined the tour because of "the opportunity to play with so many other established touring artists, the possibility of collaboration, and fun jam sessions."
Kulpa often describes her music as "acoustic-kara-folk" and has even been compared to Natalie Merchant.
"I'm not sure if I really sound like Natalie, although my vocal melodies might be able to be traced back to her since I grew up singing 10,000 Maniacs songs in my bedroom to my mirror," Kulpa said.
Other performers include Renee Asteria, who fuses folk-rock and reggae into her Latin rhythms; Kristy Hanson, described as a mix between jazz, classical, and folk music, and the lead singer of the Neo-Celtic group Blaq Lily, Arminta.
While their musical backgrounds may spread across myriad genres, one thing unites them all.
"So much of what is on the radio sounds the same," Hanson said.
Indiegrrl is trying to provide an alternative.
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